Should Cash Transfers Be Conditional? Conditionality, Preventive Care, and Health Outcomes

Abstract

We study a Conditional Cash Transfer program in which the cash transfers to the mother only depend on the fulfilment of the national preventive visit schedule by her children born before she registered in the program. We estimate that preventive visits of children born after the mother registered in the program are 50 percent lower because they are excluded from the conditionality requirement. Using the same variation, we also show that attendance to preventive care improves children health. (JEL H23, I12, I18, I38, J13, J16, O15)